Member Avatar for natasha

I have Windows XP and am wondering what compatible combination I need for full protection.

Bundled with my new XP PC came Norton Anti-Virus 2005, free 61 day subscription, so I'll stick with that for the minute.
(I have also been given McAfee Internet Security Suite 2005 Version 7.0 by a friend, but I haven't yet installed it as it doesn't rate as highly as Norton Internet Security 2005, which I am considering buying.)

I have 3 quick questions -

I plan to download Spybot and Ad-aware. Together with Norton AntiVirus 2005, will this offer full protection? And will they conflict/clash with each other?

Later, I will buy NIS 2005, and use it with Spybot and Ad-aware. Will this combination be compatible, and offer full protection?

I am getting a broadband package that includes anti-virus and firewall next week. Will those programmes bundled in the broadband package conflict with Spybot, Ad-aware and Norton?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by stef32

Dani AI

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A practical, layered approach works far better than piling products together. For the simplest safe setup is one primary, real‑time antivirus/suite (the Norton OEM while evaluating is fine), a single firewall (preferably the router/NAT or one software firewall), and Spybot/Ad‑Aware used as on‑demand scanners and immunizers. Mixing multiple resident AV engines or multiple software firewalls commonly causes slowdowns, false positives or installation problems.

Concrete configuration steps to avoid conflicts:

  • Make one product the active, resident AV. If trying a second product, disable its real‑time shield or uninstall it first.
  • Use Spybot’s Immunize feature and run both Spybot and Ad‑Aware as scheduled on‑demand scans (weekly or after risky activity). Turn off Spybot’s resident watcher/TeaTimer if the chosen AV already offers resident spyware protection.
  • When switching AV vendors, run the vendor’s official removal/cleanup tool (or uninstall utility) before installing the new product to remove leftover drivers/services.

Firewall and ISP bundle notes:

  • A router with NAT provides basic inbound protection without software conflicts; that’s the low‑friction option recommended. If the broadband bundle installs a software firewall or AV, do not run its resident modules alongside another resident AV—either disable the bundle’s real‑time features or uninstall them.
  • Signs of conflict include persistent high CPU/disk usage, blocked installs, network drops or duplicated security popups. Task Manager, the Services panel and msconfig/startup entries help locate duplicate processes.

Operational hygiene that matters most: keep the OS and signatures set to update automatically, schedule full scans at low‑use times, run daily browsing from a non‑admin account, use a less‑exposed browser for general surfing (as and suggested), and keep regular backups. Later replies from and show there are many viable product combinations — pick tools that receive current updates, avoid overlapping real‑time engines, and focus on patching and safe habits.

Recommended Answers

All 7 Replies

Member Avatar for seatsd

Personally I hate NIS and I'd skip it. I use the free version of AVG (www.grisoft.com), Microsoft Antispyware, and occasionally scan using Adaware and Spybot. Get a cheap hardware firewall by Dlink, Linksys, Netgear, etc. And most importantly, dump Internet Explorer and use Firefox.

Darrin Seats
Cornerstone Computing

Member Avatar for dlh6213

Just to expand on what seatsd said, I've been using Norton System Works since '96; I've had very little trouble with it, but since coming here to DaniWeb I've learned quite a bit. Norton uses a lot more system resources than most other programs that do the same thing -- when my current subscription expires, I'm going to try something else. AVG is supposed to be one the better free antivirus programs, but, for a reasonable price, NOD32 is supposedly the best.

Don't ever let yourself be fooled into thinking you are fully protected -- it ain't gonna happen. The combination you described, a good AV, Spybot, and Ad-Aware will offer a good amount of protection; and you should consider adding SpywareBlaster as well. Keep everything updated, incuding Windows and IE! That's the most important thing. Most viruses, etc., are released after patches were made available to prevent them.

There shouldn't be any conflicts among anything you mentioned; is the firewall you're getting a hardware firewall or software firewall? If it's a software firewall, you should disable the Windows firewall or you will have conflicts there.

Using an alternative browser, such as Firefox, is a good idea, but you still need to keep IE as there will be a few sites that won't work with Firefox (Windows Update, in particular).

These threads may interest you as well:
http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread16365.html
http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread5690.html

Member Avatar for natasha

Thanks you guys. Very helpful advice indeed.
Excellent.
N x

Member Avatar for kc0arf

Hello,

I would also look beyond Norton for your protection. My fiancee is running AVG, and I run Sophos on my Mac. Norton is easy to setup, but it comes at a price.

I would also break with IE and start using Firefox for a web browser. IE and Outlook Express are invitations for problems.

Christian

Member Avatar for natasha

thanks babe x

Member Avatar for venera17

well i wouldn't really go with norton if i wanted my computer to be safe. personally, i didn't think norton was very reliable. i recently switched to trend micro to protect my computer and i love it! in fact, one of trend micro's products just got ranked number one on a list from the latest issue of Consumer Reports magazine (sept 2007). here's the complete list:
(1)

(2) Check Point ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 7.0

(3) McAfee Total Protection 2007

(4) McAfee Internet Security Suite 2007

(5) Microsoft Live OneCare

(6) BitDefender Internet Security 10

(7) F-Secure Internet Security 2007

(8) Symantec Norton 360

(9) Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007

i hope this helped and good luck :)

Member Avatar for stef32

In my opinion the following security software combination works very efficiently:

Microsoft Security Essentials + Comodo firewall + Malwarebytes.

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